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The founding community:Organized Jewish practice in Meridian began as a combined effort with the Jews from the neighboring town of Marion. Marion, located about six miles from Meridian, was initially the larger of the two towns. The early founders of the two communities hoped to pool their resources and create a temple half way between the two towns, but the balance between them shifted when Meridian became a railroad center after the Civil War. While Meridian grew rapidly due to railroad commerce, the prominence of Marion quickly dwindled and most Marion Jews relocated to Meridian. Plans to build half way between the two towns were therefore cast aside. In 1869, this burgeoning Jewish community established Beth Israel as Lauderdale County’s first Jewish congregation. The founding of Beth Israel was spearheaded by David Rosenbaum, Alex Lowenstein, Abraham Threefoot, and G.H. Lesser, who served as President, Vice-President, Secretary, and Treasurer, respectively. Their first act was to acquire land for a cemetery for $100. The Beth Israel cemetery, which is still used by the congregation, has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The fledgling congregation met in several temporary locations in its early years, including a school house on 24th Avenue and Ninth Street, a room up above Carney’s Grocery Store, and Sheehan Hall. The state chartered the congregation on March 20, 1873. In that same year, they hired David Burgheim as their spiritual leader

Founding a place of worship:Initially, only ten families belonged to the congregation, but Beth Israel quickly expanded as the population of Meridian grew.From its earliest days, Beth Israel adopted Reform Judaism, and the congregation joined the Union of American Hebrew Congregations in 1874. By 1878, Congregation Beth Israel grew to 50 families. Finished in that same year, their brick synagogue, located on 22nd Avenue, was the first building in the city with gas powered lighting. The first Rabbi, (FIRST NAME) Burgheim, was succeeded by a series of short term rabbis including Rabbi W. Weinstein, Rabbi (FIRST NAME) Jacobs, and Rabbi Judah Wechsler.

A curious characterization: Beth Israel’s Sunday schoolWhen Charles Wessolosky visited Meridian in 1879, he characterized the community as a small but mighty congregation that “[sought] its elevation and advancement at all places.” At that time, Rabbi Weinstein ran the Sunday school. The educational system used by many small town Southern Jewish communities tended to mimick the model set by surrounding Christian churches, And “Sunday Schools” had their roots in the economic necessity of keeping shops open on the Sabbath, the busiest day of the week for Jewish merchants. By 1886, there were 45-50 children in Beth Israel’s religious school. One out of town visitor described it as “one of the finest Sabbath-Schools in the land.” In addition to classes in Hebrew and biblical history, Rabbi Wechsler gave lectures on each alternate Sunday to a large audience of Jews and non-Jews. The observer noted that his sermons were not “long, dry, prosy dissertations read from a mile and a half of closely written manuscripts, but instead riveting lectures that left his audience with plenty of 'food for recollection.’”

A new home: In 1906, the congregation built a new synagogue on the corner of 11th Street and 24th Avenue. Designed by architect P.J. Krause, this new temple was modeled after the Temple of Athena Nike, one of the major temples of the Acropolis. Leading into the temple were fourteen marble steps, and the entrance was supported by a series of large ionic columns. The synagogue interior, which could seat 500, also mimicked the octagonal shape of early Grecian architecture and was marked by its graceful simplicity. Interior ornamentation included a large green glass dome, a grand pipe organ, and stained glass windows displaying the Ten Commandments, a menorah, the Shield of David, and the Ark of Noah. The new building suffered a fire in 1907. While it was being repaired, Beth Israel held services at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, a favor they were later able return later when St. Paul’s was renovating its own building.

Jewish Education: Congregation Beth Israel hosted a conference for Mississippi Jewish religious school teachers in 1907. The convention hosted distinguished speakers, who tackled such topics as, “The Intellectual and Emotional in Religious Education.” The three-day convention was made possible by the efforts of the entire congregation. The approximately forty visiting educators enjoyed the hospitality of the Meridian Jews who opened up their homes to them. In addition, Congregation Beth Israel offered religious services throughout the conference and advertised in the Meridian Evening Star that these services were open to the public.

The Orthodox community: The Jewish population of Meridian continued to increase, and by 1927 the Meridian Jewish population included 575 individuals. Part of this growth was due to the arrival of a wave of Jewish immigrants from Eastern Europe. The members of Beth Israel helped these new immigrants, often sponsoring them, helping them to find jobs and places to live, and hosting night classes to help the immigrants learn English. Beth Israel members also helped finance business ventures for many of these new immigrants. Early German Jewish were assimilationist by nature and more secular than the later waves of poorly education and very pious eastern European Jews who arrived in the 1920s. The newcomers did not like the Reform style of worship at Congregation Beth Israel and sought to adhere more closely to traditional Jewish practice. Rather than compromise their religious principles, they formed their own Orthodox congregation, Ohel Jacob, in 1880. The small congregation worshiped in the Pythian Hall and the Odd Fellow’s Hall in its early years. For a long time, the congregation met in the home of Louis Davidson. In 1907, Ohel Jacob had 22 members, and only $150 in annual dues income, a far cry from the $4500 a year Beth Israel received from its (number) members. These Orthodox Jews eventually had to adjust their religious practice to the social and economic realities of their new home. In 1907, Ohel Jacob held Saturday morning services from 6 to 8 am, most likely so members could fulfill their religious duties before opening their stores for what was the busiest day of the week.In 1929, Ohel Jacob built a small white frame synagogue as its permanent home at 1300 25th Avenue. They also acquired a small cemetery across from the Beth Israel cemetery. Although Meridian had two congregations, by all accounts there was not much tension or conflict between them. Beth Israel members socialized with Ohel Jacob members Indeed, many Meridian Jews belonged to both congregations. Sammy Davidson worked hard to keep the Orthodox congregation alive. By the 1980s, he was recruiting people to come to Meridian for the high holidays so Ohel Jacob would have a minyan of 10 people. In 1990, the few remaining members decided to disband the congregation and sell the building. The building was ultimately torn down in 2000.

20th-century Rabbis: Beth Israel has had eighteen full-time Rabbis. One of the most prominent of these was William Ackerman, who served the congregation from 1924 to 1950. Rabbi Ackerman was extremely involved in civic and interfaith activities in Meridian. In 1926, he was named as the city’s “Most Worthful Citizen” by the Kiwanis Club. His congregation very much supported his civic efforts, taking great pride in how well he mixed into the larger community.The congregation also loved his wife, Paula Ackerman. When Rabbi Ackerman died suddenly in 1950, they asked Paula to fill his shoes as “spiritual leader” of the congregation. Though she had no ordination or formal training, Paula Ackerman led Beth Israel for three years until they were able to find an ordained rabbi to fill this role. Paula’s pioneering tenure was twenty years before the first woman was ordained as a rabbi. Though she was always called “spiritual leader” rather than “rabbi,” Paula filled all the roles of a rabbi including leading weekly Shabbat services, giving sermons, and conducting marriages and funerals. In spite of much media attention and criticism from Jews around the country, the congregation remained united under her leadership. The larger Meridian community embraced Paula as they had embraced her husband. Ten years later, she served a similar function at a temple in Pensacola, Florida, where she grew up.A third home: By 1964, the temple building needed extensive repairs, and the congregation elected to build a new synagogue in the suburbs instead of repairing their 60-year-old downtown building. They purchased a rustic five-acre plot located in the residential Broadmoor subdivision. Their new facility, dedicated in December of 1964, was composed of three buildings, all designed by architect Chris Risher, Sr.. The buildings consisted of a sanctuary that could hold 200 people, a social hall with a kitchen and library, and an education building. They also added a Holocaust Memorial that was commissioned by three local Christians. The memorial stone is shaped like the Ten Commandments and depicts Cain killing Abel.The close interfaith relationship reflected in the Holocaust monument has deep roots. When Christ Lutheran Church was built in 1869, the congregation ran out of money before their building was completed. The minister had hoped to inscribe the words “Chesed” and “Sholom” on the pulpit to highlight the Old Testament roots of Christianity, but was unable to afford this decoration. Members of Beth Israel stepped in and donated the necessary funds.

The bombing:In 1968, a group of Ku Klux Klan members from Jackson bombed the temple’s education building. Rabbi Milton Schlager had been on the Committee of Conscience’s executive board, which had been outspoken in their opposition to attacks on black churches, and the Klan attacked in retaliation for his actions. The blast was powerful enough to warp the foundation of the education building and left a huge crater at the front entrance. After the bombing, Rabbi Schlager observed, “It hasn’t happened to me. It’s happened to the people of Merdian. It’s not a Jewish matter. It’s not my church. It’s one of the churches of Meridian.” Congregation president A. L. Cahn told reporters that the Jewish community would continue to object to the racial violence, stating that, “without unity there is no community.” Following the bombing, the community observed a Day of Reconciliation. Local officials and the Meridian newspaper denounced the attack and expressed their support for the Jewish community. A new stream of anti-Semitism emerged during this period, and threats against Jewish businesses increased. The town’s officials and Jewish leaders called upon the FBI for help, and Mississippi agents determined it was necessary to find a private bankroll to buy information and trap the Klan assailants. Federal agents secretly obtained tens of thousands of dollars from Mississippi's Jewish community, bought Klan informers, and quickly discovered a Klan plot to bomb. On a tape recording obtained by the F.B.I., one Klansman argued in favor of bombing a synagogue while many worshipers would be there, including children. The Klansman is heard to say, "Kill 'em while they're young." They didn’t get a chance to carry out their plan. On the evening of June 29, 1968, the Klan returned to Meridian to bomb the home of Meyer Davidson, and were arrested after a gunfight with police. One assailant, Kathryn Ainsworth, a school teacher was killed.Recent history:Congregation Beth Israel and the Meridian Jewish community have both declined in numbers in recent years. Today, there are not enough Jewish children in the congregation to support a Sunday school or youth group. While the temple sisterhood is still active, Beth Israel no longer has a full-time rabbi. Since 2005, Rabbi David Goldstein, a retired rabbi from Touro Synagogue in New Orleans, comes to lead services in Meridian once a month. Despite its declining size, Congregation Beth Israel remains active in continuing the legacy of 140 years of Jewish worship in Meridian.

Primary Source: A Friendly EvangelistIn 1888, the Rev. George O. Burns, the evangelist, spoke about the “Lost Tribes of Israel,” at the Opera house in Meridian, Miss. He extended a cordial invitation to all the Jews. The following is a letter exchange between Members of Beth Israel and Rev. Barns.